The Beginning of the End of His Life
by sunhai guy
Summary: A life cursed, a lover in despair. From secret shopping to the fight of a lifetime, Snow would do anything for Serah's sake. Chapter 2 up
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note__: I'm on a roll! I've put out two stories in the past 24 hours prior to starting this piece, and they have gotten me more traffic than I've had in my entire two plus years of existence on this site. I would be remiss to go on without thanking the few fans I have, as they have helped urge me to continue doing what I love._

I don't own the series. There are no OCs in this story, so really I just own my take on this plot. Enjoy.

The Beginning of the End of His Life

Day 10

"There's no way I'm letting this happen to you," Serah screamed. "Get away from me!"

She argued with Snow helplessly in her dining room. She was cursed with the mark of a l'Cie, and wanted nothing more than for him to stay away. She loved him dearly, but her presence could taint him. She didn't want him to share in her curse.

"Serah!" Snow shouted. "Serah, I'm not letting you go through this alone! We can face this, together!"

She backed into a corner and curled into a ball. Snow watched as she clutched her upper left arm, where the Pulse l'Cie brand was burned into her skin. He could sense she was terrified of her future and was determined to keep him from suffering with her. He wouldn't have any part of her fears, he wanted to help her. He was going to make it right.

"Stay away, please!" Serah began to cry. Snow had no idea what to do. He couldn't approach her. She wouldn't let him. But he couldn't stay where he was. He reached a hand forward, and took a single step. It was interrupted with a convulsion from Serah, and a piercing scream. She sounded like she was about to have a baby. He rushed to her side, in fear for her life.

"Serah! Serah, speak to me!" He shouted in vain. The brand on her arm began go glow violently as she convulsed on the floor, writhing in pain. He couldn't do anything, anything at all, and he was horrified. He'd never been so helpless in his life.

"Snow!" He heard her shout. "Snow, can you hear me?"

-----------

Warm light from the fal'Cie Phoenix was plastered about the seaside city of Bodhum. It fell across the waves, tracing bent patterns in the sands beneath the ocean. It pierced the gaps in the tree leaves, leaving behind scattered specks of radiance on the green grass. It did not, however, fall across the bedroom window of Snow Villiers. The blinding light that would usually wake him did not affect him on this morning, and now that it had reached noon the light did not reach his window at all. He missed call upon call, but did not miss when someone came to awaken him personally.

"Snow," a male voice sounded from outside the bedroom door. "Snow, get up. Serah's looking for you."

"Snow," another shouted. "Snow! Wake up!"

Again, nothing.

"Let me handle this," a female voice sighed. The doorframe splintered as the female kicked it in. She found Snow there, tossing and turning in his bed. The two others squeezed past her into the room, and the younger immediately ran to his side and shook him about.

"Snow!" he shouted. "Snow, can you hear me?"

Snow jumped up, nearly hitting the youngster in the face. He was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.

"Maqui…?" Snow grumbled. "Yuj? Lebreau? How'd you get in here?"

"Violently," The older, blue-haired boy responded. "Maqui and Lebreau called you a few times already, but you didn't answer."

"Sorry, Yuj. I had a rough night. What was so important, Lebreau?"

The brunette girl sighed again. "Serah is looking for you. Tomorrow's her sister's birthday, right? She's going shopping for a present. She's been begging me to find you for her. She doesn't have a key to your place."

"Neither do you," Snow replied.

"She sure doesn't," The smaller, blonde-headed boy chuckled. "By the way, you have a couple doors you might wanna fix." Immediately, he took a couple steps back and stood behind Yuj.

"Okay," Snow grunted, sliding towards the edge of his bed, "Lemme get dressed and I'll be on my way. Lebreau, you owe me a couple doors."

She smiled sweetly as she ushered the others out the door and followed behind them. Snow stood and stretched his shoulders before shuffling over to his dresser. Since his discovery three days ago that Serah had become a Pulse l'Cie, enemy of their homeworld of Cocoon, he was very tense. He had promised her that he would help her complete her Focus, even if it killed him. He meant it, too, but where would he start? How was he to discover her objective and complete it? He had no idea.

As soon as he was dressed he was out the door, phone in hand. Six missed calls, three from Serah. He called her immediately. There were a couple rings and the phone clicked.

"Snow, where are you?" The female voice scorned. "I was worried sick!"

"Serah, I'm sorry," Snow sighed. "I overslept. We still going shopping for your sister's present?"

"Sure are," She giggled. Her voiced seemed to glow through the phone, if that were even possible. "Meet me at the shopping arcade as soon as you can. I love you."

"Love you too," He cooed before the phone clicked again and the line was dead. He took off on foot toward the shopping district.

Rounding a corner from an alleyway, he spotted Serah Farron standing in the middle of the walkway, patiently waiting for him. She looked beautiful, as always, dressed in bright, glowing colors and her hair tied to the side. The band she wore on her upper left arm seemed to match the ensemble very well. Nobody would ever suspect that beneath it was a mark whose very thought struck fear into the hearts of every inhabitant on the planet. If those around her saw that mark, they would run for their lives, tripping strangers in their paths to put as much matter between themselves and the l'Cie as possible. He found it impossible to believe that his beloved Serah was a magic-wielding monster, or that she was capable of mass murder or whatever it was that l'Cie were supposed to be charged with. He couldn't believe that, he just couldn't.

"Serah!" He shouted, jogging up to her, his hand waving to alert her to his location. She stood on her tiptoes, waving back at him.

"We have some shopping to do," She giggled. "Come on!" She pulled on his hand, dragging him into a jewelry store.

Snow watched Serah look through the glass panes at all the glittering artifacts, entertained as she tried to find one appropriate for her sister. Good luck with that, he thought. He looked around as well, chuckling under his breath at the thought of getting Lightning a bracelet or necklace. She'd never wear it. But just the same, he looked. There were lots of intricate pieces, and even engagement necklaces. The collection was quite extensive for such a small shop. Every chance he got, he stepped away from Serah to look at necklaces. A good half hour later, she ushered him out the store, ready to look somewhere else for something she would appreciate.

"Hey Snow," Serah squealed, jumping in place with his hand. She pointed forward and declared, "We should check out the sporting goods place! She'd like something practical, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah," He answered, hardly knowing what he had agreed to. His mind was in another place, and he was about to go back to get it. "Go check that out, I'm gonna hit this clothing store and find her my own idea of practical, ok? I'll meet you at the sporting goods store."

She bounced away as he stepped toward the clothing store. As soon as she was out of sight, he made a quick change and went back into the jewelry store.

"Back already?" The woman behind the counter smiled. "Can I assist you?"

"Sure can, he responded. "The girl I was here with? Just a moment ago? I'm looking for something for her… for us."

"Ah," She had a knowing look on her face. "Right over here." Snow rounded the counter to the case on the opposite side. There were the necklaces he was looking at before, still there and looking as pristine as ever. "I saw you eyeing these," She giggled, "They're very neutral. Perfect for proposals, good for you, good for her."

She was a great saleswoman. He was beyond sold, even before she spoke to him about it. He had them in soft velvety jewelry cases and hidden in his jacket pocket before he even stepped out of the store and headed to the sporting goods store. When he got there, she was looking into another glass case, this time eyeing a survival knife.

"Like that?" Snow asked. "I know she would."

"Yeah, I agree," She responded, still attentive to the knife, like something about it was about to change. "What about you? Did you get her anything?"

"Nah," He sighed. "Couldn't find anything that said 'Lightning' to me."

"I know what you mean," She giggled, "Try living with her all your life."

"I think I'll pass," was all he could say back.

He looked around on his own while she attracted the attention of the clerk to retrieve the tool and ring her up. He thought about Lightning. He knew Lightning would be just as torn up about Serah's condition as he was, maybe even more so. He had no idea how Serah would break this news to her sister, or what Lightning might say. His thoughts were interrupted when Serah tugged on his sleeve. "Snow, it's time to go." He grunted in agreement before they took off toward another store


	2. Chapter 2

Day 11

When the bright warmth of Phoenix's glow entered his room the next day, Snow still wasn't waking up. This time, nobody had come to interrupt his slumber. He was lost in his horrific nightmares, and this time nobody would interrupt them, this time he would experience the full extent of his strained mind's worry.

The brand on her arm glowed and pulsed as Serah writhed on the dining room floor. She screamed, begging Snow to help her in any way. Snow had no idea what he should do.

So he ran.

He turned and ran away, out the front door and into the yard. He stopped there, panting, hands on his knees, tears streaming down his face. He had given up; he didn't know what to do for Serah, or for himself. He collected himself and tried to return to the house. The screaming had stopped; there was no sound to be heard from the front door. He quietly walked the hall into the den, where he saw broken glass spattered across the floor. A faint shuffling could be heard from the dining room.

"Serah..?"

The shuffling changed to skittering and grew louder. A form rounded the corner and hobbled after him.

A Cie'th.

Snow was bewildered. He hadn't been able to save her, and now she was in a state of eternal torment. Even then, knowing that, he couldn't bear to harm her, or the hollow shell that was her only minutes ago. He dropped to his knees, head down, ready to accept his fate. Tears fell from his cheek, staining the wood floor as he felt a cold, claw-like appendage press hard into the back of his neck.

--- - - --- - - ---

They say you can't die in your dreams, because it would cause your brain to shut down just as it would if you died in reality. It must have been true, because Snow bounced in a painful fashion as he awoke in his bed. He jolted forward quickly, putting a hand on the back of his neck. No injury. All he felt was sweat. He swept his feet to one side, and in rising from bed knocked his phone to the floor. Picking it up, he looked at the exterior screen reading '2 MISSED CALLS.' He flicked it open as he headed to the bathroom for a shower. One missed call from Lebreau, one from Serah. He decided to return the call to Serah first. It rang, but no answer. He decided he'd leave a sweet message.

"Hey Serah, it's your hero. I'm sorry I missed your call, I didn't sleep too good. I'll see you soon though, yeah?" He hung up and sighed. He needed to get in control of his thoughts before his ever-withering sanity got the best of him. More importantly than that, he needed to bathe. He took a quick shower, cleaning up and rinsing the sweat from his body, and was out the door in minutes.

Pulling on his coat as he went out the front door, he strutted off towards Serah's house. They had just planned on spending the day together, enjoying each other's company until it was time for the show that night. The Bodhum fireworks show was a masterpiece, more and more amazing every year. He returned Lebreau's call while he was on his way. When she didn't answer, he figured she was busy and didn't leave a message.

When he was a couple blocks away from Serah's house, he got a call, which he answered, ending his game of phone-tag with Lebreau.

"What's up?" Snow huffed.

"The fireworks are tonight," She reminded him. "You plan on showing up?"

"Sure do," He gleamed, his voice glowing even through the phone.

"Cool," She responded. "You can stick around and keep Yuj and Maqui out of trouble.

"Eh, maybe for a while," He half-sighed. "I do have something else in mind."

Lebreau gasped. "Omigawd you're doing it. You're gonna ask her!"

"Shh," He hissed through the phone. "It's a secret."

He made sure to end the conversation before he made it to the walkway to Serah's front door. He pocketed his phone and approached the house quietly, he liked his knock on the door to come as a surprise. He stood on the doorstep and lifted his hand to knock.

"Because he's a bum, that's why!"

Snow could hear Lightning yelling in the house. She was loud and angry. Serah was being loud as well, but she wasn't angry. She was upset.

"You don't even know him!"

Snow already wasn't liking what he was about to walk into. Lightning really did severely dislike him. Maybe today wasn't the best day. But he couldn't help but stay and investigate the trouble he had inadvertently started.

"I don't have to! I know all about him! I don't like him or his NORA friends! I don't want you near any of them!"

Lightning again. There was no doubt at all by this point she was talking about him, and she had no intention of saying anything nice. She was even bashing his friends, who had intervened in Guardian Corps business only days ago, routing a few wild animals posing a minor threat to the town.

"Why not? What did they ever do to you?"

Serah again. She was more and more upset every time she spoke.

"They're trouble, that's why! They think they run this town, but they're a bunch of hot-headed kids! They interfere in official Guardian Corps affairs every single time they pull their stunts!"

Lightning wasn't getting any less angry every time she spoke.

"So what? He's not coming to cause any problems! He just wants to spend the day with me. Why can't you accept that he loves me and I love him?"

"I've already told you. He's a bum," Lightning sighed. "He's a jobless scumbag that commits acts on a near weekly basis that are borderline criminal, and he's moving in on my little sister! He's not setting foot into this house ever again!"

Her words stopped again, with another deep breath and a heavy sigh, audible where Snow was standing. He heard footsteps head away from the front door and toward the living room. He didn't know what to do this time. His heroics wouldn't work on Lightning. She hated him.

So he ran.

He didn't actually run; he turned and walked away. He wasn't going to put Serah through more today than he had to. She was upset enough as it was, and he didn't want to make it any worse. He called Lebreau one last time, and to his astonishment, she answered.

"Hey, Snow," She answered cheerily. "What's up?"

"Serah's on lockdown," He breathed. "I heard them arguing when I went to see her. She won't let me see her."

"I'll go get her," Lebreau offered.

"Forget it," Snow argued. "Lightning hates NORA almost as much as she hates me. She won't let any of us near the front door without taking a punch to the face. And we still won't leave with Serah."

"So what do you want me to do then?" She replied angrily.

"Get me a drink," He sighed, and hung up the phone.

Around a couple more corners, he reached the seaside shack that she ran during most of its hours. He took a seat at the bar, where a glass was waiting for him, next to a brown longneck bottle whose label was adorned with a tipsy moogle.

Abandoning the glass, he turned the bottle upright, and didn't bring it down until it was completely drained of the hot liquid.

"You said a drink, not a whole bottle," Lebreau whispered, resting her head on her arms from the other side of the bar. "You're paying for it."

He handed her a credit chip and put his head down. "Keep the change," He sighed. "And get me another."

Snow couldn't see Lebreau's concerned face. She shook his shoulder a little bit. "Go see Gadot," She replied, trying to sound cheerful. "You guys go spend some time together. Sober up. I'll handle this Serah problem. Lightning can't keep an eye on her all night. She has to work."

Snow grunted.

"GET UP!" Lebreau shouted. She grabbed his elbow and heaved up, and he fell onto the ground. He was already reeling; he wasn't a drinker and he had never killed an entire bottle of anything. "Piss-drunk customers are bad for business."

He grunted and slurred a few curses at her, but climbed back onto his feet. He stumbled a bit, but was altogether stable, or so he thought. After a few steps he was on the ground again.

Lebreau lifted him from the ground and sat him back on a stool before calling Yuj. She held him by an arm while the phone rang.

"Yuj here," Snow heard from the earpiece.

"It's Lebreau," She spoke. Her words seemed to echo in his head, every syllable pounding his brain. "Get Gadot. Snow needs a DD."

"Snow was drinking!?" He heard from the earpiece again. "Gadot'll be there in a few."

His ears were ringing, his head was pounding, and his throat was burning. When Gadot arrived, he was nearly asleep. He was there by the time he was loaded into the backseat.

--- - - --- - - ---

When Snow awoke, his pounding headache was still in place, though the ringing and the burning were gone.

"Quick recovery for a lightweight," Yuj laughed.

"He's only been out for a couple hours," The fiery red haired man next to him said.

"Yeah, but he did kill an entire Mooglemeister, Gadot," Maqui pitched in. "Strong stuff."

"How would you know?" Yuj laughed again. "How old are you? Fifteen?"

"What time is it?" Snow groaned.

"About six," Gadot replied, looking at his wrist. "Getting dark soon. Don't worry, you haven't missed anything. The fireworks won't start until it's totally dark. At least eight-thirty."

He rolled off of Gadot's couch, standing to stretch. Maqui brought him a ham sandwich and a tall glass of ice water. "You need to sober up soon," He laughed, "If you're going to propose tonight."

Snow grunted in anger. Lebreau couldn't keep a secret if she wanted to.

He ate quietly, listening to the evening news. They were doing a story about the Euride Gorge incident from a few days prior. Gadot interrupted when he grunted as he stretched. "Got the stuff for tonight, Snow?"

"Nope, sure don't," He sighed. "I'll have to go home and get it."

"Well, can't help you with that," He replied, eyes on the TV, "I've got to get to the shack. Lebreau's gonna need some help tonight."

Snow finished his glass of water before he stood up, took his turn to stretch, and headed out the door. "I'll let you know how it goes."

He was still a bit unstable as he left the house, but he was able to walk fine. By the time he got home, it was getting dark. He went to his room and grabbed the necklaces from his bedside table. He made a stop in his bathroom to clear his system before he was out the door again.

Halfway there his head was clearing up, and he felt better than he had all day. He could see the beach at the horizon when he got a call from Lebreau.

"Snow," He answered as he picked up the phone.

"Hey, it's party time," Lebreau instructed. "She should be here any minute."

"Got it," He responded, his voice having that light again that it usually had.

He hopped down the steps onto the beach. He tried to keep a positive attitude for the biggest night of his life. "Let's do it," He said to himself, pounding his fists. He waded through the crowd of strangers on the beach, squeezing through people to get into the shack, nearly bumping into a tourist as he went in. Ignoring her (and her friend's) advances on him, he headed for the bar.

"You JUST missed her," Lebreau winked. "She said she'll be at the usual place." She gave him a sly smile.

He gave a quick semi-salute and headed out the door, leaving her to tend to her dark skinned customer. He needed to hurry to the bridge where he knew she'd be waiting, with a beautiful view of the fireworks, with no crowd whatsoever. He was dodging around a tall black man with his son on his shoulders when he heard a familiar voice in the crowd. He saw Lightning talking to a man he presumed to be her superior. He had no idea what they were talking about, he could barely tell they were speaking at all. He noticed Lightning had been in for a surprise, because she was looking at the man with a shocked expression. He left the scene behind, nearly tripping over a teenage boy and his mother.

He fought the crowd to get to another set of stairs, further down from where he had come onto the beach from. From there it wasn't more than a quick turn and a staircase before he could see Serah, leaning on the bricked railing. He kept quiet as he walked up to her, but she turned just as he was about to walk up behind her. He thought quickly for something snappy to say.

"Makin' a wish?"

She chuckled slightly, but her voice and her face retained a somber mood. "I'm wondering how to tell Lightning. She'll be furious."

He needed to turn this around, quickly. "Don't worry. I'll take the blame for you."

She smiled a little bit, but it didn't last long. "I wish I could tell her."

He was drowning. "Y'know, you could wish for something bigger," He responded. His voice was carrying its usual glow. "These are wish-granting fireworks, like in the stories."

He hadn't thought about that too much. He was so worried about how she was feeling, he hadn't even thought about the fireworks as more than a romantic backdrop. They looked up at the exploding orbs of light together, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds. _I wish I could be a bit more confident about this_, he thought_. No, I wish she'd say yes_.

"L'Cie who don't complete their Focus become Cie'th," Serah sighed. He opened his eyes and looked over to her. She was still staring into the bright fireworks.

_I'll bet she wished that she'd find out more about her Focus_, he thought. He was still sinking quickly in this conversation. "You will never be one of those monsters," He said, now standing on his own two feet, looking her in the eyes.

"What will I be then?" She began to cry. "A crystal?" She turned away from him, trying her best to hide the tears that were coming.

This was it. He was as good as dead if he didn't say something now. She was taking deep breaths to fight the tears.

"Yesterday, at the store, I got us something," He said, reaching into his jacket pocket. She turned her head, confident the tears were gone. He removed two identical necklaces from his pocket.

The tears were welling again.

He stepped behind her and moved her hair. He put the chain on her neck and clipped it shut, letting it rest on her shoulders. She was looking happier as he stepped in front of her. Her eyes seemed to glow; he had to do it now. There was no other time.

"I will stand by you, no matter what," Snow said. The light was gone from his voice, all the carefree tone he usually carried was absent. He was serious, maybe for the first time ever.

"Serah, my one, my only…"

Tears were moments from flowing down her cheeks as he put a hand to his chest and took a knee.

"Will you marry me?"

His heart sank to the pit of his stomach for a moment. He knew it, it was too soon. She would feel awkward, she'd say no, she'd leave him and never speak to him again. She took a breath, resisting the sobs wanting to take over her voice.

"Yes!"

He looked up at her. She was still looking at him, a stream of tears on her face, her lips in a smile that might illuminate the skies and block out the legendary annual fireworks show. She had said yes! His wish had come true; he was betrothed to the one girl who had ever made him happy.

"She said yes!" He shouted, knowing full well that nobody had heard him but her. He picked her up in a hug, swinging her in a circle. He took her hand and ran with her down the bridge, to a parked civilian aircraft. He took the controls, she sat in front of him.

They lifted off, floating toward the massive sphere holding the fireworks show.

"Guess my wish came true," Snow laughed.

"What did you wish for?" Serah inquired.

"I wished that you'd say yes," He replied, looking into her bright cerulean eyes.

She looked away, a bit upset. "I wished for the courage to tell Lightning that I've become a l'Cie."

He was losing her again. "C'mon! Our engagement is much bigger news!" He laughed.

They drifted into the massive sphere containing the show. Serah watched the fireworks exploding within feet of her. Snow was watching her; watching the lights reflecting from her eyes. She was beautiful, and the scenery only augmented that.

"It's amazing," She whispered, turning to Snow. Serah had nothing more to say. She was staring at him, her gaze drifting between his eyes and his lips every few moments. They drifted closer together, her eyes still not sure where to rest, and she closed them as she went in for her prize.

It was interrupted as they floated into one of the explosions occurring around them. They were knocked off balance, prompting Snow to guide them out of the range of the colorful explosives. Once outside the large sphere, they resumed, floating in the sky as all of Bodhum watched.

Snow landed where they had taken off, hoping whoever owned the aircraft was unaware it was theirs. He walked with her back to the beach, ever observant of Lightning's location. He separated from her when he went into the shack, so Lightning wouldn't see that they'd been together. He watched as Serah reported to Lightning before he turned to Lebreau.

"So?" She asked.

He smiled his bright smile. "She said yes!"

"Excellent," Gadot laughed. "I'll handle the bachelor party. I'll need a ball and chain."

"Proud of ya, man," Yuj chuckled as he patted Snow on the back.

"Yeah, well I'm headed home," Snow laughed. I've had quite a night, I need some sleep. Serah and I are gonna talk about when we'll tell Lightning."

"No problem," Lebreau exclaimed, waving happily at him. "Let us know how that goes."

He walked out the shack and up the stairs next to it to get off the beach. He called Serah. No answer.

"Still on the beach, I guess," Snow sighed. "I'll try again in a bit."

He made it home just before eleven. He was ragged; he hadn't slept well in days and he had a lot on his mind. He placed one more call to Serah. No answer. This time, he left a voicemail.

"Hey baby. Sorry to bug you so much. When are we gonna tell Lightning? Please let me know. Love you."

He hung up the phone and crawled into bed. He didn't hear the phone ring just after midnight; he fell asleep as soon as head hit the pillow.


End file.
